Does Home and Wild Food Procurement Enhance Food Security in High-Income Countries?

Area of Science:

• Food security research
• Sustainable food systems
• Public health nutrition

Background:

• High-income countries rely on commercial and charitable food systems.
• Non-market food self-provisioning, including home and wild food procurement (HWFP), is often overlooked.
• HWFP encompasses activities like gardening, hunting, fishing, foraging, and animal husbandry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize evidence on the interaction between HWFP and food security dimensions in high-income countries.
• To build a holistic understanding of HWFP's role beyond traditional food systems.
• To identify research gaps and guide future studies in this area.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature on HWFP and food security.
• Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data on non-market food procurement.
• Synthesis of findings to understand the multifaceted impacts of HWFP.

Main Results:

• HWFP positively impacts food availability, dietary quality, and access to affordable foods.
• It enhances household food supply stability during personal hardships and societal shocks.
• HWFP offers agency in food sourcing and can reduce ecological footprints, but also presents food safety risks and sustainability challenges.

Conclusions:

• HWFP is a significant, though not fully understood, contributor to food security in high-income countries.
• Future research should quantify HWFP's contribution to national food supplies and explore its role during crises.
• Food security research must incorporate HWFP, and HWFP studies should consider food security implications.